1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine and more particularly to a power saving apparatus of an automatic vending machine and method thereof for reducing an electric power consumed therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, automatic vending machine have been widely used in countries. The automatic vending machines, such as coffee, cigarette, cake, and candy vending machines have goods safe-keeping chambers therein.
In these automatic vending machines, when coins are inserted by the user into the automatic vending machine and a selecting button is pushed to a predetermined goods, goods is extracted from an extract part of the automatic vending machine.
As shown in FIG. 1, a goods selecting apparatus of a conventional automatic vending machine includes a coin sensing mechanism 1 for generating a sensing signal according to a state of inserted coins and an amount of money to be inserted in the automatic vending machine, a goods selecting part 2 for selecting a predetermined article among goods stored or provided at the automatic vending machine, a control part 3 for displaying a selling possibility state of goods according to a sensing signal corresponding to the inserted coins and the amount of the money input from the coin sensing mechanism 1 and for generating a control signal to extract goods selected from the goods selecting part 2, a display part 4 for displaying the amount of inserted money and a selling possibility state of the automatic vending machine, and a goods extracting part 5 for extracting the selected goods according to an extract control signal from the control part 3.
Now, goods selecting operating process of the conventional automatic vending machine will be explained hereinafter.
When coins are inserted through a coin inserting slot (not shown) of the automatic vending machine by the user, condition of the coins or a bill and amount of money are sensed by a plurality of sensors(not shown) of the coin sensing mechanism 1 and a signal sensed therefrom is provided to the control part 3. The control part 3 generates a control signal for displaying a total inserted amount of money according to the sensing signal from the coin sensing mechanism 1 and also generates a control signal for displaying a state of goods selling possibility state in case the inserted money excess the selling price of the goods stored at the automatic vending machine.
After the state of the goods selling possibility shown in the display part 4 is confirmed, a selecting button is pushed by a user to be selected goods. A button signal corresponding to the goods selected from the goods selecting part 2 is provided to the control part 3. At this time, a control signal for extracting the selected goods is generated from the control part 3.
Accordingly, the user can obtain at any time a predetermined article among goods stored in the automatic vending machine, thus controlling and adjusting the extracting control signal from the control part 3.
However, if the conventional automatic vending machine is disposed at a place such as in an office limited time to be used an electric power is unnecessarily consumed even during non-use time because the electric power is kept supplying to several loads such as a heater for heating a goods or a compressor for cooling the goods.